The Monster We Made
by Venu3374
Summary: Short scene Idea about what would happen if the villagers turned Naruto into a self-fulfilling prophecy.


" _ **They hate you, you know"**_ The voice echoed through Naruto's mind as he turned another corner, shuriken and other metal objects flying past the corner he'd just turned. The mob was only fifty yards or so behind him, and he couldn't even stop to catch his breath. If he did, he was dead.

" _ **They're pathetic. Tiny little mortal minds so caught up in their petty little hatreds, unable to see the truth behind their actions. Their FEAR."**_ Naruto didn't know where these thoughts were coming from, but a small, dark portion of his mind was nodding thoughtfully at the words as he picked up speed, trying to put some space between himself and the murderous crowds.

" _ **All you need to do is reach out and take your birthright, and they'll learn the error of their ways**_ " Naruto almost paused at that, his curiosity growing as the voice became more persuasive.

" _ **After all, if they're going to hate you, it might as well be for something you did."**_ A dark laugh rolled through his mind, and despite his better judgment Naruto asked the question.

" _What do you mean?"_ There was a sense of amusement that was not his own, and satisfaction.

" _ **You have more power than you know, boy. All you need to do is reach out and grab it. Reach out and TAKE what I'm offering you"**_ Naruto was forced to dodge a particularly accurate kunai throw, and it almost cost him as he slipped on a patch of wet road. He managed to right himself before he fell, but it cost him precious time as the mob caught up just a little more.

" _I don't know HOW to take what you're offering me, or WHAT you're offering me. Or who you are!"_ If it was possible to distill an arched eyebrow into a single feeling, Naruto would say that's what he was now experiencing.

" _ **You know boy. You've always known. They call you the "demon brat", they talk about finishing the fourth's work. They treat you as if we were the same entity, idiots that they are. But because of them, we have something in common."**_ There was a pause, and Naruto couldn't resist.

" _What do we have in common?"_ He knew he might regret talking to the dark voice at all, but it was keeping him from concentrating on the mob behind him, and if it DID have a way out of this mess, he would take any help he could get.

" _ **Hatred."**_ Naruto shivered at the emotion behind the word. _**"They trapped me in you, and then blamed YOU for what they'd done. They treat you the way they'd like to treat me. As far as they're concerned, we're one and the same."**_ That same sense of dark amusement rolled through him again, followed by a sense of hungry anticipation. " _ **Promise to set me free when you die and I'll let you show them just how powerful WE can be.**_ " Naruto hesitated. Despite what the villagers said, he wasn't an idiot. He'd suppressed his suspicions for years, let the taunts roll off of him, but deep down he'd always suspected what existed inside him. Always known.

There was a moment of doubt when the image of the Hokage, his beloved JiJi, floated in his mind, as if warding off the aggressive thoughts. It was a beacon in a sea of hatred, but almost as soon as it appeared it was drowned out by images of abuse from the villagers. Hundreds, THOUSANDS of individual instances of assault, of harassment, of hatred all poured over the few bright spots, the few people who'd been kind to them.

" _We only go after those who went after us."_ Naruto stated, and felt a wave of triumph wash over him.

" _ **Only the worthy are spared our wrath. And you've been given years to find out who is worthy"**_ He had the sense of standing at the edge of an abyss, an edge that would decide his destiny forever with this decision.

" _What do I need to do"_ He finally asked.

" _ **Just let me in."**_ The voice was a physical presence now, and he could feel it on the edge of his mind. It was vast, incomprehensible to his tiny mortal mind, and he reflexively pulled his consciousness inward to try and keep the power out. It took the entirety of his will, everything he had, but he forced his mind to relax and lower the defenses. There was a feeling of drowning, and burning, and for a moment there was nothing in the world but fire.

When he opened his eyes everything changed. It was as if the whole world had been overlayed with a blurry filter, and it was finally removed. He could see everything, hear everything on a level he'd never imagined. Scents floated on the wind, and he instinctively identified excitement, and anger. He clenched a fist, hissing as a newly elongated nail cut into his palm. The cut lasted only a fraction of a second before healing before his eyes, the blood evaporating into the reddish-orange chakra cloak around him. He could feel the cloak feeding strength into his body, and almost laughed aloud at the feeling of it, the glorious _freedom_.

The leading element of the mob ran around the corner, now less than fifteen yards away, and came to a dead halt as they saw him. The villagers behind them pushed forward, budging the ones in front, but the leaders were unwilling to come any closer to him. This was no longer a weak boy, and easy target. The wave of malice coming from Naruto was causing sweat to break out across their brows, and more than one was suddenly wishing they were anywhere but here.

" **What's the matter?"** Naruto asked, his voice laced with power. **"Not as much fun when your target isn't defenseless?"** He took a small step forward, and the leading element of the crowd reflexively tried to back up, but was unable to move the people behind them.

" **Tut tut."** Naruto wagged a clawed finger at them as if admonishing a naughty child. " **The game's just beginning"** His fanged smile set off a wave of terror in the mob, and he stalked forward, laughing the whole while.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hiruzen had been in his office, slowly whittling away at the never ending clerical work that was so much of his job, when the emergency ANBU signal went out. He didn't bother with the stairwell, instead leaping out his open window with his guard in tow, and headed straight towards the signal's origin point. He knew the village was rowdy on this night, as it was every year, but couldn't help but wonder what would cause a full ANBU alert.

He sped across the edge of the village, following the recognizable sound of screams, and shivered as he felt the unmistakable malice of the Kyuubi's chakra.

" _Naruto!"_ He frantically thought, and picked up speed.

He finally found the source of the feeling, a figure covered in orange chakra, and promptly swayed on his feet as he landed in front of it.

It took everything he had not to vomit at the scene in front of him, the carnage beyond anything he'd seen before. The street was literally red with blood and scattered viscera, people torn apart and sprinkled everywhere. Hiruzen's eyes were glued to the vista in front of him, and the spell only broke as the enshrouded figure moved, dropping a charred body to the ground in front of him.

Hiruzen's eyes snapped to the figure, and his first thought was that it was wrong for someone to seem so _clean_ in the middle of such an atrocity. Naruto had not a drop of blood or gore on him, and it took the Hokage only a moment to figure out why. Naruto shifted his feet into a more comfortable stance, and where his chakra shroud came in contact with the gore and blood it boiled away into nothing, leaving a charred patch of ground.

Hiruzen's mouth worked silently as he stared at the boy he'd come to love like a grandson, and could only stare at the wide smile on Naruto's face.

" **Hi JiJi!"** The tone was cheery, completely at odds with the scene around them.

" **Happy birthday to me!"**

AN:

This is just a scene I had bouncing around in my head. I was wondering what would have happened if the villager's abuse of Naruto had made him a self-fulfilling prophecy, and all I could think of was a super-powered child. They lash out at whatever hurts them, but can be extremely happy and kind to those they feel they like. Depending on how people feel about it, I might consider turning it into a bit of a story.


End file.
